The Arkle Trophy

The Arkle Challenge Trophy is one of the top betting races at the festival it is run by novice horses.It is a Grade 1 chase ran on the old course at Cheltenham over a distance of 2 miles.Looking at the winners for the past 5 years we can see that it is won usually by a fancied runner but the favourite does have a low win record in this so it’s best to look at the horses that are 2^nd,3^rd and 4^th in the betting market.

Some useful stats we can use to try and find the winner in this event.Look for a horse that is rated over 142 in hurdle races as 10 of the last 11 winners have been.A winner last time out is very positive, in fact 22 of the last 24 winners of this race finished 1^st or 2^nd in their last race.French bred horses are worth a second look at in the market.The last 11 winners of this race started at odds of under 11/1 and can be a great race to back 2-3 in the betting market under those odds on race day.It is worth noting the form of the Arkle Trophy for future running’s of the Champion Chase as the form holds up very strong and I have used this to my advantage at previous festivals.For example previous Arkle winners Voy Per Ustedes, Azertyuiop, Flagship Uberalles, Moscow Flyer and Klairon Davis have all gone on to win the Champion Chase, Forpadytheplasterer ran very well to finish 2^nd last year.The Arkle Challenge Trophy was brought to the festival as a replacement for the Cotswold Chase; a previous race ran at the Cheltenham Festival.It is named after the great horse Arkle, a three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.Tony Mc Coy is a recent jockey who has won the Arkle Trophy 3 times with Or Royal (1997), Champieve (1998) and Well Chief (2004) and looks certain to break the record when he wins the 4^th in his career.

Check back nearer to the festival to get our top selection for this event.